


unfolding pieces of it faster

by sandyk



Series: season 3 tried to be canon post eps [2]
Category: Superstore (TV)
Genre: Gen, References to Jonah/Amy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-16 06:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12337503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: Amy was haunted by what Dina had said. She thought possibly she'd been traumatized listening to Dina's trauma. It could happen. (Post ep 3x02)





	unfolding pieces of it faster

**Author's Note:**

> Amy refers to this advice column: http://rolereboot.org/sex-and-relationships/details/2017-09-dear-dana-break-someone-move/ Title from Tegan and Sara's Burn Your Life Down. Not for profit, not mine.

It was basically torture to go to work the next day. Amy was haunted by what Dina had said. She thought possibly she'd been traumatized listening to Dina's trauma. It could happen.

"So," Jonah said. "So, so, so."

"Is that how you start a conversation now?" Amy sighed. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep last night. Hey, so your dad had an affair?"

"More than one," Jonah said. "But they're divorced now, actually, Mom's remarried, Dad has had a lot of girlfriends. A lot of girlfriends. One of his girlfriends started out as my older brother's girlfriend which was really awkward."

"But none of your girlfriends?"

"No, no," Jonah said. "I'm the baby of the family, youngest, it would be super gross if he dated one of my exes. Unless it was an older woman I was dating. But that's not really my thing."

"Older women?" Amy didn't care. She suddenly flashed back to one of Dina's haunting memories about an older woman her dad had dated. She winced.

Jonah clearly noticed. He paused and then said, "No."

"I'm older than you," Amy said.

"Right," Jonah said. "But not by a lot. You're not, like, Mrs. Robinson."

"I get the reference, but I've actually never seen the Graduate," Amy said.

"It's pretty good," Jonah said. "The thing about watching it now is that you've seen so many references to it, it feel so much less original than it really was."

Amy nodded. She had run out of things to say. So she said, "So your dad's having an affair made you a gambling addict?"

"No," Jonah said. "Nope. Not that simple. Do you think it's that simple?"

"I don't know, I've never been really into gambling," Amy said. "I've never really been into anything, I guess."

"I wasn't a gambling addict, nor was I just really into gambling. Just, you know, took it too far," Jonah said.

"Okay," Amy said. "You're not being defensive at all."

"I try," Jonah said. He smiled. "I don't have a best friend either, by the way. Garrett says his best friend is Randy Mendoza."

"Peeing is not as much an indicator of friendship as you thought, huh?"

"Nope," Jonah said. "You know what's sad?"

"It just makes you want to try harder."

"I'm frightened that you know me that well," Jonah said. "And yes. I could be a good best friend. I could be supportive and everything. And I'm fun. Garrett thinks I'm fun."

"That sounds pathetic," Amy said. "Don't say that to Garrett."

"Wasn't going to do that," Jonah said.

Amy nodded again. They were so totally over being awkward with each other. She said, "I like you more than Randy Mendoza."

"Oh," Jonah said. "That, that is very good to know. Do you even know Randy?"

"I've met him a few times, he comes by the store," Amy said. 

Then she had to deal with a crisis in dressing rooms and convince Carol to stop trying to accidentally kill Sandra. She took a breather at Garrett's desk. "You know," she said. "I think you broke Jonah's heart."

"Good," Garrett said. "I try to do that a few times a month. He needs to toughen up."

"Maybe it's more like you care about him and you just push him away before he gets too close," Amy said. 

"Yes," Garrett said, glaring at her. "He's just so pretty and kind and attractive and dreamy, I have so many feelings for him that I hide deep in my heart."

Amy glared at him. Garrett said, "I'm sure he's fine."

Amy was in the break room working out shift assignments. Dina sat down across from her. Amy smiled at her. Dina said, "I'm not going to say thank you or anything."

"I believe you," Amy said.

"But I owe you some listening time," Dina said. "Okay, complain about your life --" Dina looked down at her watch. "For ten minutes starting in 1, 2, now."

"Um, I don't know what to say," Amy said.

"How's the divorce going? Started dating yet?"

"No, no. I don't even know how to date. It's been so long. What do people do now? Apps on their phone? Match.com? I don't get it. Frankly, it's scary," Amy said. "I'm scared all the time. Petrified."

"Well," Dina said. "What about getting set up? I bet you remember how to do that."

Amy shrugged. "My brother tried to set me up with one of his exes. The guy's bi, and he's pretty hot. But I don't know."

"Worried he just has a fetish for your family? I can see it," Dina said. "People are fucking weird."

"No," Amy said. "He works for Target. He's a shift supervisor. I just picture us telling the same stupid stories about wacky employees and then oh, we do it this way at Target, we do this this way at Cloud 9."

Dina nodded. "If you don't date anyone from Walmart or Target or Costco." Dina pursed her lips and smiled. "You're eliminating a lot of meth users and soon to be meth users. Sounds like a good plan to me."

"Thanks," Amy said. "I'm probably not ready to date at all. I was reading this column about how breaking up with someone is like burning down part of your life and then you're on fire, basically, and when you try to date, people don't want you because they'll get burned."

"That's a lot of metaphor that means nothing. Why not just date Jonah? Carol said you two had sex during the tornado," Dina said.

"She said WHAT? Are you fucking kidding me? We did not have sex. We did not have sex during the tornado. Carol is insane. I mean she should be medicated for compulsive lying," Amy said. She stood up to find Carol and strangle her but then she sat back down. "Well, Mateo had this part right. Welcome to the meat locker, Carol. Hope you like it. You'll be there for a while."

"Really riled you up, huh?"

"Did you just make that up?"

"Nope," Dina said. "Carol really did tell me that, and a bunch of other people. I don't think they believed it. Most of them. I mean, why would you get your first banging in a long while in the space of four minutes? I guess the whole life or death thing would add some adrenaline, but otherwise, nah. Seems like you would want some kind of shmaltzy romantic thing with crappy music and special underwear."

"Jonah definitely would," Amy said.

Dina smiled. "Good point."

"We did not have sex," Amy said.

"I believe you, jeez," Dina said. She looked down at her watch. "Okay, ten minutes up. I'll try to find you tomorrow to do this again."

"So, you're taking the time I listened to you and listening to me for an equal amount of time spread over days," Amy said.

"That's how relationships work. Tit for tat. Equal time," Dina said. "Cause we're friends."

"That is how friendship works," Amy said. "We're practically besties."

"Sure." Dina said, shrugging. "My time is up for today, I can only take so much."

Amy found herself smiling. She felt like her trauma of listening to Dina's trauma was significantly lessened by Dina's incredibly awkward listening to her life horror. She sighed. She looked down at her own writing. Meat locker, Carol. She felt even better.


End file.
